The Innocent Are Not Always The Good Ones
by danielle4590
Summary: Set after Steve's disappearance, and how Howard dealt with it. By meeting a lovely young lady called Maria. I currently do not have a very good name for this fic, I literally just came up with it on the spot. Any suggestions are more than welcome, sorry if you think its crappy. Don't worry, I do too.


**This fanfic was based off of a roleplay I did with a Howard, so half the credit does go to him! 3**

**Of course a lot has been tweaked and changed, but this is all pretty much how it went. If you have a tips or pointers to give for our roleplaying skills, they are always welcome. If not, a little review of it is always nice~**

_He had been watching her for quite some time now, though whether it was the red of her lips or the way those regulation uniform skirts had outlined her hips that had first caught his eye was a mystery even he hadn't solved yet. She had been a distraction. One that had kept his gaze drifting nearly during the entire duration of the Super Solider project or at least it had right up until Steve act__ually got the ball rolling. The genius's fast moving mind automatically sealing itself into working mode once it had a new toy to play with. Then she had drifted from his thoughts like bad experiments, something he thought would stay forgotten.__  
__And then Steve had disappeared…The working relationship he had seen growing despite the desperate way the war was turning. It was almost like watching a flower break through inches of snow. Dear God he needed a drink. This train of thought was just unacceptable. Steve was gone. Peggy was heartbroken, lonely, and still holding on to hope that he would pull some kind of miracle out of his ass and bring soldier boy back. He had tried of course to find him. Spent days out there, skewering the ice and ocean for some tiny sign that the Captain might be alive in there.__  
__False hope had never truly been his thing…Steve was gone… And the world, Hell they would just have to get use to the idea that they had lost one more good man in a time of war.__  
__Still the ordeal had left its mark on Howard's mind, Or really if he wanted to be truthful…Steve had left his mark on Howard's mind, leaving the billionaire genius craving for something he had never actually slowed down long enough to experience before.__  
__Chocolate brown eyes shifted to the right, the blow torch he had been working with for the last hour or so forgotten and still burning within his hand. His attention drifting now that he was aware of her presence in the room.__  
__He had missed so many opportunities, so many chances; he wasn't going to do it again.__  
__The torches flame died as he laid it upon the table, tugging his protective mask upward and wetting his lips with a quick flick of his tongue. His feet feeling far heavier than normal as he made his way in her direction, the thudding of his heart echoing in his ears.__  
__"Hi…", He started as he leaned against one of the pieces of equipment, drawing her attention for whatever project she had been assigned to that day. _

"_You don't know me… Well actually I'm pretty sure you do know me, but not know me, know me…"__  
__Suddenly he felt like an idiot. He'd talked to women before, taking quite a large number to his bed, but he had never sounded this…'Steve-ish' before.__  
__"You know forget I said all that…Hi...I'm Howard Stark and I think we should fondue sometime!" _

_There was a voice behind her, a familiar, deep voice. She giggled slightly at Howard's words; of course she knew who he was. You'd have to of been living under a rock to not know who Howard Stark is. But his last comment did confuse her, /fondue/? She'd heard that term being used as few times between him and some of the other men, usually there would be chuckles afterwards, so maybe he was making a joke? Maria wasn't the sort who was used to being flirted.__  
__"Uh, I'm Maria Carbonell... Fondue?", She repeated, cocking her head to the side, "You've lost me?"_

_Maria wasn't too overly fond of having to join the Army. It was more of her parent's decision, at least seeing as she was a woman it meant she wouldn't be up on the front lines. She didn't like fighting, the whole idea of it seemed rather stupid and almost childish to her. Her main aim in life was to have the stereo-typical family, the hard working Husband who, when she requested, could for-fill her every fantasy and desire, and to of course have three or four children. But nobody knew how long this war could last, and so that dream was something she could not be focused on any more.__  
__That afternoon, Maria had been ordered to clear out all the cupboards which were overflowing with old papers and files. Like the Colonel put it, that was the /woman's job/. She sighed and huffed while kneeling over continuously to pick them up, and frowned even more at the horrible hand writing some of them had._

"_It's where you… You know … Dip things in cheese."__Howard's hands moved as he spoke before he finally realized it and forced them still. One had on the top of the other on a nearby file cabinet, the other resting comfortably against his hip as he inwardly scolded himself for that fine slip up. He could already see the grinning faces of the others, their words of mocking in his head. The famous Stark, Playboy of all Playboys, was losing his touch and the only person he could have laid blame on was missing in action over some part of the Antarctic.__  
__"You know what… Forget the fondue… Dinner?"__His head tilted slightly, eyes narrowing in concentration as he studied the woman's face. He always liked to be thorough when he worked. His inventions changing not only how the world looked at things, but how it worked entirely. Not that he was bragging. Okay maybe he was, but he was a damn genius. He had a pretty good reason, don't you think?__  
__"No to the dinner then? How about lunch… Could you do lunch? I could do lunch. Actually I'm pretty hungry. Let's have lunch now...I mean if that's okay with you?" He said quickly before she even got a chance to comprehend her reply. _

_"I most definitely can do lunch, as long as you don't talk so quickly like that. It's a little hard to understand you", Maria replied, crossing her arms loosely and leaning a hip on the same cabinet Howard leant against, a small yet sweet grin forming across her red-painted lips._

_Maria was beginning to see this man had a funny side to him, whether it was intentional or not. She'd always assumed he was the serious business type, but maybe that isn't the case? _

"_I'll try to slow it down then." Howard moved closer, putting himself just out of touching the young woman in front of him.__  
__"I would hate for you to get left behind…"__Now then there was the smooth flirting he was use to spouting, the confidence he held that usually made every man within a twenty-mile radius jealous and wishing they were him. He was brilliant, rich… And well he wasn't lacking in the looks department either if he did say so himself. They had a reason to be jealous and after seeing Maria on his arm. Well, they would have another reason, wouldn't they?__  
__He hadn't miss the looks the young solider boys had been given her each and every time they crossed paths. They didn't deserve her. Boys like that, they wouldn't know what to do with a woman like this. Not like him.__  
__"I hope you don't mind that we eat somewhere else? The mess tent really isn't my thing. It's just so… Messy", He chuckled, giving her that famous Stark smile.__  
__Normally something like that would be looked down upon, soldiers leaving the military base without given permission. Then again he wasn't a solider and he was pretty damn sure he could convince the higher ups to see it his way. After all he was winning their war for them one weapon at a time.__  
__That and they couldn't exactly stop him, could they? He did have his own car waiting out there amongst all those military issue jeeps._

_"Thank you, Mr Stark, that would be much appreciated", Maria said to him, giving him a quick smile, "Of course I wouldn't mind. That sounds lovely, just give me a minute or two to tidy this away", She said with a slight smirk before turning on her heels and bending over to pick up the few piles of dusty folders from the floor. She held them close to her chest and walked over to another cabinet before placing them in neatly. _

"_It's Howard", His brown eyes followed her movement, correcting her quickly on his preferred title, and of course taking the opportunity to get a good look of the woman before him retreating backside. Even if he was at least trying to be serious about this one, he was a man. He was weak and sinful … And she was stunning, wasn't she? He couldn't help but wonder if she'd look even better when out of that uniform. Sprawled across the backseat of his hot rod, perhaps?__  
__And he was getting ahead of himself…__  
__"Just Howard…"_

_"Okay then", Maria muttered, making a mental note not to always be so formal._

_She then brushed off her pencil skirt and uniform jacket, and then retrieved her light brown trench coat from the back of a chair, soon making her way to where she stood before opposite Howard.__  
__"Sorry about that, and thank you for waiting... Shall we?" She said, offering her arm._

___The billionaire slipped his arm around Maria's, the smirk tugging on the corner on his lips growing into a confident smile. He'd gotten the girl now or at least for now.__  
__He sucked in a deep breath. God, he was going to suck at this relationship crap. He knew it. He'd never been one to back down from a challenge though. This one was good as any to get his feet wet with and who knows; maybe it would actually turn out well for him.__  
__"I hope you like cheeseburgers, I know of this great little diner, it's a bit of a drive, but I'm sure we can find ways of entertaining ourselves on the ride over."___

_As they walked out together, her cheeks lit up a rosy red from a few looks they were getting. She wasn't used to any sort of attention, so this was definitely new to her.__  
__"Oh, I don't mind at all. Just don't tell my parents, they hate the stuff", She teased, looking up at him briefly. It wasn't uncommon for a young woman to still be living with their parents, the only thing that did worry her /was/ her parents. They weren't the easy going type.__  
__They both walked out of the building and down a few paths before reaching where all the vehicles were parked. Because it was Howard Stark, of course Maria expected him to have his own car; it was just which one that intrigued her._

"_See something you like?"__The Hot Rod stood out amongst the baneful army green paint of the other vehicles, the ebony coat and the dancing almost burning flame paint job something rather outlandish for their era. Something that was just perfect for his quite public lifestyle. He wanted people to look. People looking made they were paying attention. It made it a whole lot easier to work when you had people willing to listen and actually /see/ you.__  
__It paid to stand out…Sometimes._

_"Wow", Maria mumbled to herself, you couldn't deny that Howard could pull off any type of car, no matter how ridiculous or out of this world it may look. She could tell this afternoon was going to be full of many more surprises._

___He let go of Maria's arm, momentarily, to open the car door for her. That's what gentlemen did right? Open doors and all of that other charmful polite crap?__  
__"Here we go…watch your head."_

___"Thank you", She said to him as she climbed in to the car and fastened her seat belt. Once comfy she looked around, so many buttons and switches, that too did amaze her. Who knew what each could do? But she had to admit, the car was rather comfortable.__  
__"How far away did you say this diner is?"_

_Howard took his own seat in the driver's side, his fingers running over the leather of the steering wheel before catching himself. One thing at a time. In this case, his precious machine would have to wait. His attention focused on the girl for the moment, because damn it he needed this. It was something he repeated in his head time and time again. He breathed out a small breath, disguising it as he turned his head to give Maria a smile. The engine roaring to life as he flicked a switch, only to die again seconds later.__  
__Now that was embarrassing.__  
__"Keyless Ignition, it's a … Small project of mine…. Still working out the kinks, give me a second."__He leaned over her, their bodies touching for the first time. The warmth of making his hands nearly shake as he tugged at a few wires underneath the console. The car coming back to life._

_Maria chuckled softly as Howard tried to start the car. She didn't really know much, so whether the vehicle needed a key or not, she wasn't entirely sure. She moved her knees out the way so he could reach to sort out whatever was needed. To her, this all just looked like one big machine full of oil and wires, but obviously to Howard this was pretty much his life._

___"There we go, good as new."__He leaned back up, seemingly thoughtful for a moment.__  
__"Oh not too far I'd say, just a few miles…Okay, about fifty, but it's worth it. Trust me." _

___"Its fine, as long as we don't crash, I don't mind", Maria teased, biting her lower lip as she gazed across at him, "Worth it, you say? Now why might that be, if you do not mind me asking?"_

"_Now I never did say anything about not crashing", Howard flashed one of his famous grins, the pearl white of his teeth setting off his darker features perfectly. The ebony hair and the chocolate browns that had almost every woman on the west and east coast sighing and fanning themselves every time he made an appearance. No. Not woman. Girls. Girls that were still far to childish and gleeful to really every fulfil the piece of his life he was looking for.__Not that they weren't pretty to look at though._

_Maria chuckled and rolled the window down slightly, the cool breeze relaxing her a bit. She was beginning to become a little nervous, but she wasn't going to let that show. Definitely not to Howard at least._

___The billionaire shifted in his seat once more, tugging at the clutch to shift his Hot Rod into gear. His foot on the break to keep them steady.__  
__"You can still back out now if you want. Though you'd be missing out, as for what's worth it, well dinner with me is worth it, isn't it?"_

___"Oh no, of course not. I wouldn't miss this for the world", she replied to him, giving him a small smirk too. Maria then pulled her lipstick out of her pocket and began applying it in the rear-view mirror. Slowly coating her lips with the dark red make-up._

_He should have been watching the road. He wasn't, but he should have been. There was just something so memorizing about those simple moments that drew him in like a moth to a flame. Maybe it was the colour. He had always been rather fond of red after all. Hell if this all went well, he'd paint this damn Hot Rod red just to remember.__  
__"You know, you don't have to get all fixed up just for me." He teased, shooting her a mild grin before focusing on the road and finally pulling out of the army base. His speed gaining the moment the white walled tires touched actual pavement. He was glad to be rid of the place for a couple of hours. Especially now there was Maria at her side.__  
__"Though, I'm not complaining….I do like Red. It suits you."_

_"Oh don't worry. I'm not. I just hate having dry lips, that's all", Maria told him, a cheeky smirk forming across those red lips afterwards. She chuckled and slipped the lipstick back in her pocket and leant back, her eyes going from Howard, to out the window, then back to Howard.__  
__"Ah, thank you. I'm glad to know you do!"_

_Well he had been expecting, well, something else.__Not that he didn't like this. Actually, he rather liked it a lot. Most of the women (Again, he reminded himself… Girls, not women) He wined and dined ended up being terrible conversations. Each one just looking for the right buttons to push so they might end up in the billionaire's bed. Most of them did, but not in the way they wanted. He wasn't about to support the lifestyle of pretty idiots.__  
__"You know, kind of hurts my feelings a bit. Here I am kidnapping you away from that"__He gestured with his head in the direction they had just came from, "And … You're teasing me."__He almost could have been taken seriously. Almost if he hadn't been smiling the entire time he said it._

_"If you were kidnapping me, I'd be tied up in the back of your car here kicking and screaming", She grinned, turning around in her seat to face Howard more properly. _

"_That can still be arranged you know…"__If she wanted teasing, he could give her teasing, though it most likely wouldn't be the clean type that most expected. Howard had hardly been one to follow the polite regulations of society, though Steve's influences had toned him down even if he didn't quite realize it yet._

"_You know what, you got spunk."_

_She decided to take his last comment as a compliment, it wasn't often she got to go out of a whim with some man that worked with her. But then again, it was /the/ Howard Stark. If her parents knew they'd be requesting she married him already._

_"Do you really have a problem with the teasing?" Maria then asked, pouting slightly._

___"Oh no, please continue. It's been forever since I had a lively conversation with someone outside of an intern in God knows how long. That or a machine, but those usually don't talk back. Pity. I bet some of them would have quite a bit to tell me with the way I tinker with their parts. Not friendly words I'm betting, but Hell. And I'll stop while I'm ahead."_

_"Would you prefer me that way?", She asking, deciding to continue, biting gently on her lower lip, "Would you prefer me to be tied up and helpless? Forced to abide by your every request?" Maria said to him, trailing off a little. She hadn't had this much fun is so long, toying with a young man's mind. It was incredibly entertaining. She crossed on nylon covered leg over the other, best she could in the compact space of a car, but still her eyes remained on Howard and his reaction._

"_Now you're just making promises you can't keep… Funny, I didn't picture you as that kind of girl."_

_Well this girl was just full of surprises, wasn't she?__Howard's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, lips pressed together as several images flashed through his mind. None to suiting for the woman he had thought to be so innocent just moments before. She did wear that mask well, didn't she? He was more than curious now about how exactly this night would play out. Any worries from earlier dying as he relaxed into his role. His arms loosening their grip on the wheel slightly as he picked up speed.__  
__He could quite possibly get used to this, or at least give it a trail run. Then no one couldn't say that he had hadn't actually tried._

_"Is there something wrong, Mr Stark?" Maria asked, looking at him through thick lashes, "When you have parents like mine and you're prevented from doing so much, your mind wanders", she smirked. She was even beginning to surprise herself with a few of these comments she was coming out with. It must have just been the excitement from finally getting out of that base and free to do whatever she wants. Even if it was only for a few hours._

"_No!"__He was quick to calm his voice, shaking his head at his own awkwardness.__  
__"No…nothing wrong."__Again he turned his head in her direction, though his speed did not halter in the slightest. He was a very confident driver. Always would be. He was a King of Industry. Why shouldn't he be King of the roads as well? What was life without a little excitement? Or speeding?__  
__"You know I haven't done this before… The date thing…. Well I have but, not like this. Most people are just trying to tell me what I want to hear."_

_"I am glad to hear", Maria answered, smiling slightly, "Now tell me, what might those things be?" She asked, maybe these would be the things she wasn't supposed to do. But now, Howard was really beginning to interest her, and she definitely wanted to find out more. She'd have to be careful now, maybe Maria was starting to become a little too forward? She had never been known for that, and didn't want to start to be. The last thing she would ever want was to scare Howard.__  
_

**For now this is all I have written, apologies for it ending quite awkwardly there but I have got a case of writers block but still really want to share this, so for now, this will be all. Again, I am sorry, I hope you like what is there so far!**

**Please let me know what you think and if you have any opinions or ideas they will be greatly appreciated! **


End file.
